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We all love a good comeback story, and gaming has found it in the form of Hytale. The game’s tumultuous development cycle has included being invested in and then cancelled by Riot Games, only to be revived by one of the original developers in a dramatic turn of fortune in late 2025. Just a few months later, Hytale has entered Early Access and swiftly became the most popular game on streaming site Twitch and secured funding for another two years of development.

Not bad for a game that was, for all intents and purposes, dead in the water six months ago.

Here is the story thus far. Back in 2018, Hypixel Studios was formed as a spinoff from the company that runs the popular Hypixel server in Minecraft. The studio was formed to work on Hytale, a sandbox game that allows players to explore procedurally generated biomes, which feature unique quests and monsters. Development grew in scope until Hypixel Studios needed investment by Riot Games to continue making Hytale. Riot Games would end up purchasing Hypixel Studios in 2020 and, finally, cancelling Hytale in July 2025 due to spiralling costs, but in November 2025, Hypixel Studios dramatically announced that they had acquired the rights to Hytale from Riot Games and would continue development.

That brings us to January 13, 2026, with Hytale finally having entered Early Access. Pre-purchases of the game have been strong enough that development is funded for the next two years, and the game has proven intensely popular. On streaming site Twitch, Hytale was the most popular game on the platform within hours of its Early Access release, with over 420k viewers at its peak. By January 14, 2026, that number had fallen to just under 100k viewers, but that is still a remarkable feat for a game that no one expected to ever be able to play at all.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer:

• All upcoming games in 2025 and beyond
• Gamify My Life, our weekly gaming column designed
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And be sure to check Popverse regularly for the latest gaming news.